By Jack Spaulding

The Indiana DNR recently stocked selected urban fishing locations with more than 2,000 channel catfish ranging from 10 to 14 inches with an average of 12 inches. Fish were stocked in the following locations with the corresponding county listed in parentheses:

• Diamond Valley Park Pond (Evansville, Vanderburgh) – 225 fish

• Dobbs Park Pond (Terre Haute, Vigo) – 200 fish

• Dubarry Park Ponds (Indianapolis, Marion) – 200 fish

• Garvin Park Lake (Evansville, Vanderburgh) – 200 fish

• Krannert Lake (Indianapolis, Marion) – 225 fish

• Meadowlark Park Pond (Carmel, Hamilton) – 100 fish

• Munger Park Pond (Lafayette, Tippecanoe) – 150 fish

• Northeast Lakeside Pond (Fort Wayne, Allen) – 300 fish

• Robinson Park Lake (Hobart, Lake) – 300 fish

• Washington Township Park Pond # 2 (Avon, Hendricks) – 100 fish

The lakes receive three stockings total each spring, typically between late March and the first week of June.

The catfish daily bag limit is 10 per angler with no size restriction. DNR’s urban fishing program offers an exciting and safe way for families and anglers to experience the fun of fishing. Find out more about urban fishing opportunities and future stockings at wildlife.IN.gov/fishing/urban-fishing.

Anglers 18 and older must have a valid Indiana fishing license to fish at these locations, but anglers 17 and younger do not. Licenses can be purchased at on.IN.gov/INhuntfish.

Share your thoughts on Indiana fisheries

Anglers can share their opinions on Indiana DNR’s fisheries management by using a survey to be emailed the week of April 11.

The DNR will email the survey to everyone who has a current email address within its electronic licensing system. Anglers should ensure their email addresses on file are correct, update their addresses, or enter a new one at IN.gov/access.

Survey questions cover broad topics on angler participation, fishing locations, fish stocking, access to fishing spots and legal fishing equipment. Information gathered will provide valuable feedback to help the DNR develop programs to better serve Indiana’s anglers.

The link each angler is emailed will be unique to a specific angler. Because it will allow only one survey completion, it should not be shared with other anglers.

For questions about the survey, please contact AnglerSurvey@dnr.IN.gov. More information about the project is at wildlife.IN.gov/fishing/licensed-angler-survey.

Pokagon master naturalist classes

The Steuben Soil and Water Conservation District and Pokagon State Park will host an Indiana Master Naturalist (IMN) course weekly from May 3 to June 28 at Pokagon. The course will include sections on wildflowers, tree identification, geology and wildlife. The classes are open to adults and participation is limited. Registration is due April 8.

Participants must attend eight of the nine sessions, pass a series of open-note quizzes at the end of each session, and complete 24 hours of volunteer work with a state or local natural resources organization to receive an IMN certificate of completion.

The $120 registration fee includes field guides, the IMN certification fee, and other materials. To sign up, contact Aimee Wentworth at aimee.wentworth@in.nacdnet.net or 260-665-3211 Ext. 3. For more information on the IMN program, see indianamasternaturalist.org.

Pokagon State Park is located at 450 Lane 100 Lake James, Angola, 46703. The website is on.IN.gov/pokagonsp.

Forestry professional development program

A week-long, free professional development program for educators covering forestry topics will be offered at Morgan-Monroe State Forest this summer.

Adult educators and youth leaders are encouraged to apply for the Natural Resources Teacher Institute which will immerse participants in the topics of Indiana forests, forest management, forest products, and forestry research in two separate sessions June 20-24 and July 18-22.

Daily sessions include site visits to public and private forest lands. Also included are tours of forest industry facilities and the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment, a 100-year research project on the impacts of forest management practices.

The Forestry Training Center at Morgan-Monroe State Forest can accommodate a maximum of 18 participants for each session. Meals will be provided. Participants must be available to attend all days of the institute and actively participate in activities. Each participant will be asked to develop a lesson plan or project during the week. A small stipend will be awarded upon completion and implementation of the lesson plan or project.

The institute is a joint program of the DNR Division of Forestry and Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources. The goal is to provide Indiana educators and youth leaders with knowledge, skills and tools to effectively teach their students about forest ecology and forest management. Participants will receive Project Learning Tree and Leopold Education Project curriculum materials, a forestry tool kit, and Indiana-specific field guides.

Contact Donna Rogler, DNR forestry education specialist, for an application or for more information at drogler@dnr.IN.gov or 317-234-5143.

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication, or e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net. Spaulding’s books, “The Best Of Spaulding Outdoors” and “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com as a paperback or Kindle download.